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Missing My Baby
"Missing My Baby" is a song recorded by American recording artist Selena for her third studio album Entre a Mi Mundo (1992). It was composed by A.B. Quintanilla III, her brother and principal record producer. His intention was to showcase Selena's diverse musical abilities. Critics praised the song, and a posthumous music video made for VH1 was released in 1998 to promote her triple box-set Anthology. "Missing My Baby" is a mid-tempo R&B ballad influenced by urban and soul music. It employs melisma, and Selena's emotive enunciation, emphasizing the song's title and its central theme, was highly praised by contemporary music critics. The lyrics describe the love felt by the narrator, who thinks constantly and joyfully of the happy times she has shared with her lover. In some parts of the song, the narrator experiences loneliness and anguish because of the absence of her boyfriend. Though the song was never intended to be released as a single, it peaked at number 22 on the US Rhythmic Top 40 chart in 1995. Background and development "Missing My Baby" was written by Selena's brother and principal record producer A.B. Quintanilla III. It was written for Selena's 1992 album Entre a Mi Mundo, to showcase her diverse musical abilities and to allow a variety of musical styles to be represented on the album, which includes Mexican pop and traditional Mexican songs, whereas "Missing My Baby" is in the style of contemporary R&B. After the release of Selena's full-length Spanish albums Selena (1989) and Ven Conmigo (1990), which included Tejano and other Mexican pop styles, she decided that her next recording should contain an English-language song. EMI Latin wanted R&B duo Full Force to perform a remixed version of the recording. EMI Latin chose Full Force's version of "Missing My Baby" instead of Selena's solo version of the song. Composition "Missing My Baby" is a mid-tempo contemporary R&B ballad with influences of urban and soul music. It is in the key of B minor, at 144 beats per minute in common time. Selena's vocals range from D♯4 up to F♯2 and incorporate melisma, with sung poetry during the downtempo part of the song. The melody is accompanied by backing vocals, and instrumentation is provided by an electric piano, drums, a keyboard, a synthesizer and strings. Selena's emotive vocals, which have been highly praised by contemporary music critics, emphasize the song's title and central theme. R&B duo Full Force were the backing vocalists for both versions of "Missing My Baby". J.R. Reynolds of Billboard called "Missing My Baby" a "dreamy ballad" that incorporates an "R&B-styled melody under Selena's pop vocals". Ramiro Burr of the Austin American-Statesman described it as a ballad with soul influences. Jerry Johnston of the Deseret News thought that Selena displayed a "Leslie Gore baby-voice" in "Missing My Baby" and that she "displays a wonderful suppleness in her voice". The Virginian-Pilot said that the song was built on hooks that recall Diana Ross's "Missing You", which is a tribute to Marvin Gaye, and the Beach Boys' "Good to My Baby". Cary Clack of the San Antonio Express-News commented that the recording "displays Selena's wonderful vocal and emotional range". The song is constructed in a verse–bridge–chorus form, beginning with a drum solo before the other instruments enter to form the song's musical foundation. In the song, Selena sings to her absent lover about how much she misses him, saying that he is "always on her mind" and that she feels alone when he is not with her. Three times she repeats "I often think of the happy times we spent together / And I just can't wait to tell you that I love you". In the chorus, repeated four times, she sings of wanting to hold him tight and feel his heartbeat. Critical reception and legacy "Missing My Baby" received a positive response from music critics. Vibe magazine reported that Full Force was awarded gold and platinum discs for this song and "Techno Cumbia", and described "Missing My Baby" as giving a "hint of her aspirations". After it was remixed by Quintanilla III and later produced for the 1995 album Dreaming of You, the Denver Post said that it was the best English-language song on the album. Chris Riemenschneider and John T. Davis of the Austin American-Statesman wrote that "Missing My Baby can sound as fluffy as the Big M's "Crazy for you". Cary Clack of the San Antonio Express-News wrote that "Missing My Baby" was played on non-Tejano radio stations and that he thought it might become a posthumous hit. However, Mario Tarradell of The Dallas Morning News believed that "Missing My Baby" and other tracks were added to Entre a Mi Mundo "for good measure". "Missing My Baby" was one of the first songs to be played after Selena was murdered by Yolanda Saldívar, her ex-friend and manager of her Selena Etc. boutiques. A music video of the song, incorporating footage from Selena's personal home videos, was released for VH1 in 1998 to promote the album Anthology. Billboard reported it to have been positioned at number 47 out of 50 music videos for that channel in the week ending 5 April, 1998. Chart performance Personnel Credits are taken from the album's liner notes. *Selena – vocals *Full Force – backing vocalists *Ricky Vela – keyboards *Suzette Quintanilla – drums *A.B. Quintanilla III – writer References # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # Category:Entre A Mi Mundo songs Category:Selena songs